With the sector bracing itself for a global trade war, investors may find comfort in a trusted pair of hands

Two weeks after Donald Trump announced his “liberation day” tariffs, the fashion industry finds itself in turmoil as it tries to navigate the chaos unleashed.

Some are calling it the “tariffpocalypse”, with the sector bracing itself for a global trade war, snarling up supplies and hiking costs, alongside plummeting consumer confidence.

From bloomer-adjacent designs to full-on flounce, you’ll find ​this subversive undergarment everywhere this spring

We’ve had exposed thongs, pants as pants and boxer shorts as shorts. But now there is a new, arguably even more unexpected underwear as outerwear trend. Welcome to the spring of big, frilly bloomers.

The 19th century undergarment has been thrust into the 21st century spotlight with a string of celebrities and influencers channelling their inner Folie Bergere dancer - including the actor Lily James, Alexa Chung and Camille Charrière. Social media is peppered with gen Z and millennials styling Victorian bloomers, found on vintage sites or on the high street with band T-shirts, crop tops and cardigans. Free People’s £88 “forever young pants”, which come in six different colours and are bedecked in a dramatic lace trim, are proving particularly popular.